Bali Tourism News

Pousada Tom Bombadil: Endless Scenery, Endless Relaxation

July 7th, 2008

Why go all the way to Brazil to enjoy a beach holiday when the likes of Queensland and Bali are so much closer?  If you have already been to Brazil, you know the answer to that question.  If you haven’t, you will find out.  Brazil is unlike any other country in the world, offering an unrivalled mix of culture, cuisine, and natural scenery—and that includes lots of skin with precious little clothing blocking the view.

Búzios is a small Brazilian town about 200km northeast of Rio de Janeiro.  It was just another sleepy fishing village before the Bardot Effect caused a boom in tourism, much as that starlet’s association with Saint-Tropez brought international recognition to that hamlet on the French Riviera.  Thanks to Brigitte’s search for a bit of peace and quiet while taking in the scenery (which included her Brazilian boyfriend at the time), Ms. Bardot left behind enough media coverage to engender a tourism industry where before there had been none.

So the hotels and guesthouses started rising along with waterfront and into the hills of this beautiful peninsula.  One of the most impressive is Tom Bombadil.

Tom Bombadil is a character in JRR Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings; if you only know the film versions of the story, you won’t know this character; he was left out, but no one is left out of the beauty of Búzios.  Tom Bombadil is also the name of a beautiful guesthouse in the town of Búzios, two and a half hours’ drive from Rio.  With only four (simple) guestrooms and a main house that really is a house, the only way to feel more at home would be to rent all the rooms for yourself and your friends and have the place all to yourselves.  With its reasonable rates, this is not at all an impossibility.  The spectacular views of the beach and little else will make you fall in love at first sight.  The good thing is that the infatuation lasts for the entire stay.  Sonia, who speaks Portuguese, English, and Hospitality with equal aplomb, is the gracious hostess of this property perfectly situated on a bluff overlooking the quiet Praia da Foca (Seal Beach), a less developed part of the town.  Actually, it overlooks the entire peninsula, which makes the thought of ever getting out of the swimming pool sheltered by native forest one side but open to sweeping vistas on the other an idea that is best suppressed.

Believe it or not, this little piece of paradise will be only one stop from Australia once Qantas introduces its nonstop flights from Sydney to Buenos Aires.  It will then be possible to connect in Buenos Aires with the Brazilian low-cost airline Gol’s (seasonal) nonstop flight from Buenos Aires to Cabo Frio, completely bypassing the mayhem of Rio’s international airport and bringing travellers directly to an easy arrival at what must be one of the sleepiest of Brazilian airports.  From Cabo Frio, Búzios is a half-hour drive.  Sonia can arrange for a taxi to pick up guests at the airport (advisable).  So small is Cabo Frio airport that it has no money exchange or bank facilities, so have the taxi driver stop at an ATM for a cash injection along the way to paradise.

Source: http://www.etravelblackboard.com/

Entry Filed under: Bali Tourism News